Road Train is an Australian horror film, known as Road Kill in the U.S., directed by Dean Francis^[1] and written by Clive Hopkins.^[2] It stars Xavier Samuel, Bob Morley, Georgina Haig and Sophie Lowe.^[3]

Plot[link]

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Best friends Marcus and Greg are on a camping adventure with their two girlfriends, Nina and Liz in the Australian outback. Once they hit the road again, they are confronted by a road train, a massive diesel truck hauling two large trailers. Seemingly preying upon them, the monstrous vehicle comes up behind their SUV and seems to intentionally push them off the road, causing them to crash. Marcus, Nina, and Liz manage to escape unharmed but Greg gets a broken arm. When they notice the road train has stopped, Marcus and Liz march off to seek help from the driver while Nina takes care of Greg. When Marcus and Liz approach the truck, they find the cab empty and the driver nowhere to be found. Bored of waiting, Greg and Nina join them. As they search for the drivers, Greg begins to feel drawn to the truck, especially its hood ornament, which is a bust of Cerberus (the three-headed hound that guards the entrance to the Greek underworld, Hades). After being distracted by Nina, the four of them hear gunshots in the distance. A distant figure in the bush screams and runs towards them. With no time to discuss their options, the friends commandeer the powerful road train in a panic and head into the distance. The next town is only three hours away but the next town is somewhere that they will never reach.

Marcus commanders the truck and the four of them drive off. As they drive through the outback, the truck's radio comes on by itself and puts the four to sleep with unsettling rock music. Eventually, the truck heads off road and takes them up a large hill. Marcus manages to stop the truck before it crashes into a pile of rocks. Baffled that Marcus took them off the main road, Liz goes off in search of a shack she claims she saw while driving. Marcus attempts to turn the truck around despite the very little space given, only to discover the truck won't work. He goes with Liz to get help while Nina is forced to take care of Greg again. As the two descend down the hill, Liz tries to confront Marcus about him being unable to forgive her for sleeping with Greg, yet he is able to forgive Greg. Marcus refuses her apology and reaches the main road. When they do, the two split up and Liz wanders off into the desert in search for the shack.

Meanwhile, Nina discovers the fuel tanks have been empty all along and that there was never anything in them. She observes the trailers and finds a large pipe hanging underneath the trailer, filled with a mysterious red goo, which she suspects is blood. When she spots a plane above them, Liz tries to signal them by lighting a fire. As she does that, Greg, tormented by visions of Cerebus snarling and barking, finds a key to the trailers in the back of the cab. He sneaks off and enters one of the trailers.

On the road, Marcus spots the driver in the distance and runs for his life into the desert. The driver, with his loaded gun, chases him. Marcus tries to hide under a cliff, but is caught by the driver. The driver demands to know what Marcus and his friends did with his truck. As the driver keeps yelling, Marcus splashes a water bottle full of urine (after Marcus and Liz ran out of water and Marcus decided to try and drink his urine to keep hydrated) in his face and attacks him. The driver overpowers him and holds Marcus at gunpoint. A gunshot is heard.

Not far, Liz has found the shack which appears to be rundown and abandoned. There, she finds mysterious, unlabelled cans also containing a mysterious red goo just like what Nina found. After finding the remains of a disfigured body part, Liz panics and runs back to the truck. There, she joins with Nina to try and start the truck again, but they are attacked by a bewildered Marcus, who is now wearing the clothes of the truck driver. He holds them at gunpoint, but Nina manages to knock him out with a wrench. She and Liz tie him on a small railing underneath one of the trailers. After that, they attempt to get the truck moving again. While they do that, Greg emerges from the trailers and finds Marcus tied up. Marcus tells him they have to get away from the truck, because they didn't take the truck, "the truck took them." Ignoring his warning, Greg unties Marcus and the two patch things up, before Greg attacks Marcus and holds him in front of the truck's wheels, which are being put in reverse by Liz and Nina, who are unaware of the situation. The truck crushes Marcus's head and he is killed. Greg, now seemingly possessed by an unknown force, vanishes again. When they stop the truck, Liz and Nina find Marcus's body and are horrified.

They place him on the railing again covered in sheets and attempt to back the truck up again. Liz tries to guide Nina from the back of the track as she drives in reverse, but she manages to wander off and continue drinking more of the mysterious red liquid. As she does, she's confronted by Greg, who pleads with her to join him in the trailers. Dying to be with him again, Liz joins him in the trailer. As she does, the door locks itself and a faint scream is heard.

Nina, distraught and upset departs the cab and finds herself confronted by Greg. Greg claims to know how to start the truck up again. When Greg asks her to join him also inside the trailer, Nina's suspicions get the best of her. Once she hears Liz cry for help from inside the trailer, she pushes Greg down and locks the trailer door. She hurries back to the cab and manages to start the truck again. By shifting gears, she succeeds in turning the entire truck around and drives it slowly down the hill. Moments later, after uncertainty, she finally makes it back to the main road. Once then, she stops the truck and enters one of the trailers as Greg demands her to release him. When she enters the trailer, she is horrified to discover body parts and corpses being chopped and cut off in large grinders and various other killing machines. When she finds Marcus's body being grinded, she realizes the blood from the corpses is what powers the truck. She returns to the cab and drives off.

Moments later, she spots a car ahead and prepares to signal them for help. Just then, the truck radio turns on again by itself and Greg and Liz manage to sneak into the cab through the side door. The two overpower Nina, with Liz stating it's their truck now and they will take it back. As the three fight, the truck swerves on and off the road. Nina knocks out Liz with a wrench and pleads Greg from not crashing the truck into the car ahead of them. Greg rams the truck into the car, destroying its camping trailer and knocking it to the side of the road. After the collision, Liz wakes up and attacks Nina again, but Nina manages to push her out of the cab and Liz falls to her death. Greg slams the brakes, causing Nina to be knocked out. When she awakens, she finds Greg dragging Liz's body back into the trailer. Greg persuades her again to join him in the trailer, claiming they have a magnificent opportunity. Nina goes on with his offer and enters the trailer, only to kick Greg and run off.

Greg catches up to her and throws her inside the trailer, ready to throw her into one of the killing machines. Nina manages to fight back and escape. She runs off into the woods with Greg in pursuit. When Greg finds her, he pins her down to the ground. Nina spots her bag with the loaded gun inside. She grabs it just in time before Greg can kill her. Greg claims he loves her as she holds the gun at point blank range. Just as he's about to kiss her, Nina shoots him in the chest. Greg falls down. When Greg says he loves her again, Nina shoots him 3 times, the gun now empty. Greg dies from his wounds, and Nina mourns in grief.

As she emerges out of the woods, she spots the couple from the wrecked car searching the truck. When she hears the wife ask her husband if he's able to drive it, she runs toward them, screaming and shouting to stop. Because of her blood-soaked clothes and injuries (and presumably the gun shots heard which killed Greg), the couple board the truck and drive off. Nina watches in horror as the truck speeds away.

As night falls, Nina returns to the remains of the destroyed camping trailer and finds water and supplies. She wraps a blanket and sits down, watching the sunset, finally free from the nightmare.

Cast[link]

Production[link]

Road Train was shot in Adelaide, South Australia and Flinders Ranges.^[4] Michael Robertson produced the film for ProdigyMovies, Screen Australia and The South Australian Film Corporation.^[5]

Release[link]

The film premiered at the Dungog Film Festival.^[6] Road Train will be re-titled in the USA as Road Kill.^[7] The US premiere had the film as part of the Fangoria Fright Fest on 22 June 2010.^[8] It is set to be released by Lightning Entertainment in 6 August 2010 in the United States via DVD^[9], Video on Demand and Digital download.^[10] The film was released in the United Kingdom on 30 August 2010.^[11]

Promotion[link]

The official trailer was released on 17 November 2009.^[12]

Soundtrack[link]

The score was composed by Australian filmmusic artist Rafael May.^[13]

See also[link]

• Cinema of Australia

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Road Train at the Internet Movie Database